Changing, Changing: Story and Collages

by Aracelis Girmay

"Once there was a boy. And once there was a girl." So begins this story of metamorphoses, of life, and of possibility. The young protagonists of the opening lines take turns embodying facets of the world around them, undergoing transformations of quiet but mythical proportions. She becomes the moon, a tribe, an island. He becomes a bull, the sky, a kite. Bright, imaginative images of raw beauty illustrate each transformation.

Changing, Changing is a joyful celebration of many things. Of the world the children take into themselves as they are reincarnated again and again. Of the imagination, which knows no bounds as they experience the universe from the new perspective of each transformation. As children of African descent, their story is also a celebration of Blackness. Their tumble through the universe is a journey through life, a discovery of the world, themselves, and each other―making Changing, Changing a celebration of love and of friendship as well.

Adults will see the deeper philosophical message of change as a defining and driving force in life, while children (and adults, too) will delight in this playful romp through the everyday wonders that surround us. Color illustrations throughout

Genres: Poetry

48 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2005

About the author

Aracelis Girmay is an American poet. Her poems trace the connections of transformation and loss across cities and bodies.

In 2011 Girmay was awarded a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. A Cave Canem Fellow and an Acentos board member, she led youth and community writing workshops.

Reviews

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful images and charming text.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite picture book.

[Terrance Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

"She was a girl, he was a boy. She was one. And he was one. Changing, Changing". They were one; and so much more, that's the meaning I got after reading "Changing, Changing". For me, this was a story of possibilities; two children with the potential to become anything they want, or maybe they already were. On several occasions throughout the story the narrator spoke in past tense; "She was bone and heart. He was bone and heart" and "He was the wind. She was a crow". This eludes to possible story of reincarnation, these two might have gone through. The colleges were nice as if they were created using the author's family portraits but, some of them looked weird and choppy(for lack of a better word) when combined together. Other than that, I love how open the story is, as if it wants the reader to draw their own conclusions and think a little more within the lines on the page. Despite the simple text it was an interesting read I recommend it to parents to read to their children as bedtime stories in my opinion it would nice if done so.